Sushi?
by AAnitab
Summary: Mary calls Marshall and he answers. Yet another conversation in a car brings them closer together. It will be shippy eventually damn stubborn, slow people. Shippy smut begins at last, I guess they were willing to be less stubborn after all. He He He.
1. Staying

Title: Sushi?

Author: AnitaB

Author's note: I own nothing and nothing I do own would be worth the lawyer's fees of suing me.

Marshall and Mary are meant for each other. But before anyone, especially the writers, do something stupid to push them back apart, my Marshall and Mary decided they needed to do something to get closer. Will be shippy, but technically isn't quite there yet.

Sushi?

By AnitaB

Chapter one: Staying

It had be one hell of a month. Some of it great, some of it soul-crushing. Some of it as yet undetermined. Marshall lifted his head from the bunch of miniature origami roses he was making and reached for his beer.

In some ways he was closer to Mary than she'd let him be for a long, long time. She was opening up to him, talking to him more since she'd woken up in the hospital since before he'd been shot and promised not to leave her.

And he wouldn't. Not ever. Marshall was never leaving Mary, no matter what. He would cut off his own arm to be at her side the second she needed him. But that had made the last month an incredibly difficult tight rope walk to balance. It was hard to stay so close and not get closer. So hard to hear her thoughts, needs and doubts without telling her his own. //Again. I told her I love her. I told her I wouldn't leave her.\\

It was so hard to hold back during all those conservations on the road when he wanted to touch her, to tell her … everything. Everything she needed, everything she wanted, it was all right here. No more than three feet from her side every god-damned day. He knew, down to the depths of his soul he knew he could be everything she needed. That he could be that insane goal of that insane woman. That he could keep and protect the purest part of her heart.

Oh, they'd argue like mad because Mary couldn't breathe for too long without arguing, but there would be no doubts. It would be just right. He was the beautiful, sweet, sensitive man who adored her. The only way she could ever get him to leave her would be to kill him.

And the only way that Mary would ever manage to leave him would be if she ran harder and hid better than they ever managed for their witnesses. "Mary,"

Marshall shook his head and emptied the bottle of beer in one long swallow. Mary might never be ready for everything they could be together. And he needed to put at least some of these feelings back in their box if he was going to be there for her tomorrow without spilling his guts over her desk.

He also needed another beer and a lot more origami paper. Mary's bouquet wasn't done yet. Standing, he dropped the bottle in the trash and opened the fridge for a second, or maybe it was third, beer. His fingers curled around the cold glass in the same instant as his cell phone went off on his hip. He both hoped for and dreaded this call. //Mary,\\

She had no idea that she held his heart in her hands. "Mary?"

"Marshall. I'm starving. Sushi?"

There was… something in her voice. He couldn't say no, not that he ever really could. "I'd love some. Am I meeting you there or picking you up?" Marshall put the beer back in the fridge and headed for the living room.

"I'm already in the car. Be at your place in about five minutes."

"I'll be right here." Marshall hung up the phone and pull on a jacket. She probably had no idea just how true his words were. He would always be there for Mary. Marshall had thought about leaving once. He probably wouldn't have managed it then. And there was no way in hell he'd manage it now. Standing on his own front porch, Marshall stared up at the stars and practiced a breathing technique he'd read about. He needed his control back if he was going to give Mary what she needed.

"Hey, Doofus. What, you fall asleep standing up?"

He could feel the smile start to curve his lips before he dragged his eyes from the heavens. "No, Mare, I was just examining Ursa Major. It's a fascinating subject for study. Most people describe the constellation as 'the great bear,' hence it's name. But really, the stars within it are more closely shaped to a—"

"Marshall, shut up and get in the car." The words may have been a little cutting, but the expression on her face was relaxed with just a hint of a smile. Her voice was tinged with warmth. She could complain all she wanted about 'the down pour of idiocy he practically patented' but nothing calmed her down or cooled her off better than a little trivia.

"Yes, ma'am." Marshall was buckling his seat belt when his heart leapt and raced. Such an overwhelming physical response to such a small amount of bare skin. No engagement ring had reappeared on her finger. And she was in a car with him about to go out for dinner, not a certain Cuban baseball player. //Breathing… that's what the practice is supposed to promote.\\ Finishing the act of buckling the seatbelt, he focused on his breathing. "So, Mare, where are we going for sushi?"

"That little place off Central avenue. Unless you, in your knowledge of all things Asian, Mr. Origami master, know a better one."

"Shogun's, right off Central, is amazing. The chef was born in Kyoto."

Mary's laughter brightened every nerve in his body. "I'm not gonna ask how you know that because I, unlike you, don't want to know the chef's life story right now. Just as long as they have good beer."

"They do,"

"Great, let's go."

000

He looked tired. Really tired. But he'd smiled. And he'd started not one but two unprompted trivia strings. Mary glanced at her partner out of the corner of her eye at the first red light. She hated that her baggage and fucked up life had helped put that weight on his shoulders.

It had been a hell of a month. Fuck, it had been a hell of a year. And most of it was because of her. From her kidnapping and shooting, to the coma and the recovery, to her relationship trouble with Raf… she'd put him through so much in the last year. In the six before that it wasn't like she was the cream of the partner crop. She'd spent months insulting him, arguing with him. And yet he was always, always there for her. In this last month, he kept her from cracking wide open with a word, welcome or not, a hand, a shoulder. He had her back, made her think even when she thought she couldn't, distracted her when it all got to be too much. He watched out for her when he should be running for the hills.

"Jesus, Marshall. Why didn't you tell me I was such a bitch?" She felt his surprise fill the car with a sudden silence. But she didn't dare look over to see what he was really feeling.

"Wh—What?" His voice was soft, confused and a little warm. "Mary, you're not making sense."

"Don't lie to me, Marshall. You heard exactly what I said and you know it's true." Mary locked her eyes on the road and gripped the wheel hard. "I've been a bitch. I dump all my fucked up problems on you, make your life at work a living hell." A weird sound crawled up her throat. But she wasn't crying. Nope, not even close. Mary blinked back water and forced herself on. "Why the fuck haven't you dumped my sorry ass on the side of the road?" Her breath caught, but she still wasn't crying. "Any Witsec office in the country would snap you up in a second if you put in for a transfer. Why haven't you?"

Long fingers slid around her wrist in a gentle grip and suddenly she could hear his voice. "Mary. Mary, pull over. Pull the car over now." It sounded like he'd been trying to break in edgewise for a little while. A glance sideways showed her a weird expression on his face, one she couldn't read. "Come on, Mare."

Her teeth sank into her lower lip and her hands were shaking just a little as she guided the car into a nearby open spot. But it was Marshall's hand that threw the car into park, Marshall's grip on her arm that pulled her a little sideways in her seat. Marshall's eyes trying to catch hers. "Look at me, Mary."

She didn't know if she could. If she looked at him she might actually start crying. But Mary forgot for a moment about one the reasons Marshall had stayed her partner for seven years. He was a stubborn bastard and he wasn't about to bend an inch right now. "Mary," His other hand lifted to her chin and Mary found her eyes on his face completely against her will. "I said look at me. I don't want us to crash, but I think we need to talk." The hand at her face brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek warmly before sliding away. "You're not a bitch, Mary." Her disbelieving sound brought a small, tense smile to his lips. "Well, you can be a bitch. But not to me."

"Marshall," She shook her head, but wasn't allowed to get any further.

"You're not a bitch to me, Mary. I'm telling you the truth. Scout's honor." His hand on her wrist somehow turned into her hand cradled in his. "I want you to listen to me right now. Because this is very important."

His eyes searched her face and she hurried a nod. If he kept talking maybe his eyes wouldn't feel like they were opening her up under a microscope.

"Good. I love it that you trust me enough to share your problems with me, to let me in, let me help you. Is that clear, Mare? You're my partner and my best friend. It is my job and my choice to be there for you in any way I can. If you start feeling guilty about it, you'll stop. You'll start pushing me away again. I don't want that. We've gotten closer in the last year than we've ever been. I will not lose that, not without one hell of a fight." His fingers slid through hers, squeezing tight in a desperate grip. "I'm here for you, Mary. I'm staying. Please don't push me away."

Yup, now she was crying, a harsh little sound in her throat and hot water streaking her face. Mary found herself held tight against his chest with his chin propped on her hair. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and long fingers rubbed her back. Her hands caught in the back of his shirt under his jacket, her cheek tucked against the strength of his shoulder. "Marshall,"

"I'm here, Mary, I've got you." His throat sound almost as rough as hers felt. "I'm not letting go."

//Good, don't want you to.\\ Mary tightened her grip just a little more and rubbed her face against his shirt. //It's nice here, I like it.\\ Eventually she would have to pull back, but not just yet. There was something amazing about this moment, about hearing Marshall's heartbeat under her ear, about his arms around her. But what was even better was the feel of the tension leaving his muscles. Marshall needed this hug just as badly as she did. It was her job and choice as his partner and best friend to make sure that he got what he needed too, a little more time just… like… this.

She opened her eyes to see a small damp spot on his chest. The second she lifted her head, Marshall opened his arms and moved one hand to her face. Those eyes searched her face and Mary found herself giving him a soft smile. "You know you're crazy for staying with me, for wanting to stay, right? Abso-fucking-lutely nuts."

The relief in his eyes and the curve on his lips made something deep in her back unknot, maybe for the first time in years. "I'd have to be an insane person to keep up with my crazy partner." His fingers stroked the line of her cheek before he pulled both hands from her skin. "So we're okay, right?"

It wasn't easy to pull back from the warmth of him, but it was necessary. "Yeah, Marshall, we're good. Besides, I dragged you out of the house in the middle of the night with the promise of sushi. I should deliver."

"And I've never told you the long and detailed history of Sushi."

//Damn, you're cute when you're a doofus.\\ Mary put the car back in drive, hiding a broad smile by checking out her window for traffic. "I've always thought the first person to eat raw fish must have been starving to death and not able to make fire."

"You'd be surprised then…"

000


	2. Trust and Food

Sushi?

By AnitaB

Chapter two: Trust and food

Marshall glanced at Mary around the edge of his menu. If he hadn't held her while she cried, he wouldn't believe just by looking at her that she had a single tear, let alone enough to leave a still damp circle on his shirt. Her eyes were clear and not red at all. She was smiling a little more freely. In fact, Mary looked more centered and happier than she had in days, weeks. And he had given that to her with his words and his arms around her. That made him happier and more centered than he had been in weeks. Maybe months.

The fact that he could help Mary, could calm her, could still feel her in his arms… meant so much more to him than he could ever explain. "Well, Mare, what looks good?"

"It's raw fish, Marshall. I'm making you pick for me and kicking your ass if it makes me throw up." The look in her face said she meant it, every word.

Mary? Marshal Mary Shannon voluntarily giving up any control at all? And even with a faint smile… Marshall felt like checking her for every science fiction means of body duplication he'd ever heard of. Was she a pod-person from the planet mars? A clone from a lab? A robot copy? Or maybe his version of the dream woman from 'Weird Science'…

No, she was just his Mary. Perfect exactly as she was. "Hmm," He locked his eyes to the menu and hid a bit of a smile behind it. "At risk of an ass-kicking…" Marshall searched his memory of the hundreds of meals they had eaten together over the last seven years. He could either feed her something she would never choose on her own or something safe. What fun was safe? "Alright then. You're having the Anago with Wasabi on the side. And I'm having the Negi Toro. We're splitting an order of Gun Mandu."

The smile on her face made his breath catch. "And you're telling me what all that means in English… when?" A soft wave of her hand drew his eyes, yet again, to the naked length of her ring finger.

"After you've taken and finished at least one bite from each plate." She looked like she was about to protest, so he held up one finger to keep her from interrupting. "Even what I'm ordering… which is safe enough even for sushi newbies."

"Newbie?" He could hear the edge of heat in her voice. The old adage was even more accurate in her case. God, she was beautiful when she was angry. "You know what happened to the last person who called me a newbie… right? You, man of the freaky good memory and massive random knowledge, must recall that event."

"Didn't I almost have to handcuff you to pull you off his back? The ER gave him ten stitches and wanted to give you a tranquilizer." Marshall closed his menu and pretended to struggle for the details. "Was his name Brad or David?"

"Brady." The curve of her lips made his heart rate change. "Something Brady… or Bradley, I think. And you didn't have to handcuff me. Not even close."

Fiery Mary always made him respond. Not that she had any idea. But that wasn't what had kept him from kissing her after she'd cried in his arms. Oh, Marshall had thought about it. No man could have felt her against his chest, under his hands without wondering what it would feel like to kiss her. And he had thought about her kiss for years. But there was no way in the nine hells he was going to take a taste of her lips without her full and knowing consent.

With the smooth line of her cheek in his palm, only the uncertainty in her eyes had shored up his self-control. The only thing that scared Marshall more than losing her, was losing her after he'd found out exactly how perfect for each other they were. To watch her walk away from him when he could still taste her on his lips. He would cut out his own heart before he let himself hurt her.

Knowing all of that hadn't made pulling his hands off her skin any easier, hadn't made him wish for a kiss even a little tiny bit less.

Dragging his eyes off her lips, Marshall scrambled a moment for to get his mind back into the conversation at large. "You sure about that, Mare? I remember bruises on my shins from your heels and scratches on my arms when I went to poor Bradley's rescue."

"You'll know it if you ever try to handcuff me by the bullet holes in your ass."

"That's my violent girl," It was only when her head jerked to the side that he realized he'd spoken the words out loud, that he'd claimed her verbally like he wanted to do physically. The expression that washed through her eyes was unreadable and scared him for a quiet, stilted breath. There was something fragile in her face for the duration of their locked gazes. When her eyes pulled from his, Marshall fought to break the weird mood. "Oh I forgot for a second. You're no girl." He made sure the humor dripped from his voice and was relieved by her sharp little laugh and quick smile.

"You better believe it, man."

He loved the sound of her laughter, adored even more that she felt safe and comfortable enough around him to let go that much. There were people unlucky enough to never hear Mary Shannon laugh. "That's Mr. Mann to you."

"Isn't it Inspector Marshall Marshall Mann? I mean, if we're getting all technical." Her voice held humor and the edge of full on sarcasm. But then Mary without sarcasm was a sign of the end of the world. "Jesus, Marshall, if I hadn't seen your credentials like a million times already, I'd swear under oath that it was just you yanking everyone's chain."

He found himself smiling at the suspicion in her face. "Would I do that, Mary?"

"In a heartbeat. Somewhere behind that calm, responsible, adult exterior is the heart of prank-pulling teenage geek." He watched her fingers play along the edge of her menu because looking at her smile was just a little dangerous to his self-control. His Mary could make him feel like a teenager in more ways than trouble-making. "Don't forget, Marshall, I've seen your toy collections and listened for years to you babble nonsense about your multitude of science fiction favorites." Her shoulders shrugged and shook just a little with a laugh. "And I've seen you around guns and explosions. You are so a pyro."

"Explosions and guns are fun." Marshall found his hand moving on its own to rest on the table just a few inches from hers. "You know you love it when we get to shoot at people who annoy you."

The smile crossing her lips made his fingers twitch in the instant before her hand covered his. Every inch of his body went still at the touch, obsessed with feeling everything he could about his Mary reaching out for him. It couldn't happen enough to make him ever, ever get tired of it. "Only as long as they don't actually manage to shoot us back." Her smile failed, but the new look on her face was even more precious to him. It was only rarely that Mary showed him that she really did care about him. He always knew it… but sometimes faith was not enough to sustain a man. "I think we've both had enough close calls lately, don't you, Marshall?" Her fingers tightened on his until their knuckles went white at the force of their hold on each other. "I don't ever want to shove car parts into your chest ever, ever again."

He felt tears climbing the back of his eyeballs and held them in by the skin of his teeth. Marshall lifted their joined hands to his face and brushed his lips over her knuckles with a rough clearing of his throat. "And I never, ever want to watch you wheeled into an emergency room not breathing. My heart couldn't take it again."

He wanted to hold her again. Marshall felt the need to wrap his arms around her fill his every muscle. When she nodded, bit her lip, and leaned closer across the table, the urge to stand and pull her close got even harder to resist. Marshall felt his legs move, readying his body to stand and pull her up out of her seat and against his body…

"Welcome to Shogun's, my name is Keiko and I'll be your server tonight. May I take your drink orders to get you started?"

Mary jumped, but didn't pull away from his hand. That made him smile as he turned to the waitress. "Actually, we're ready to order." Rubbing his thumb back and forth over Mary's fingers, Marshall rattled off the foods he'd picked out and asked for normal silverware and chopsticks.

By the time Keiko headed back to the kitchen, Mary was smiling again too. "You are such a geek, Marshall. Does ordering in Japanese usually get you the girl?"

"Guess we'll find out, huh?" Marshall brushed a kiss over the back of her hand with a wide smile and a heavy faked Casanova accent. The smile and little laugh on her lips made his own smile even wider. /That's my Mary.\\

000

How had she not noticed in seven years that Marshall could be cute? She knew he was strong, smart, sarcastic, stubborn, and even attractive. But cute? That was a bit of a shock.

That accent was the worst she'd ever heard and it had to be on purpose because she'd heard him fake decent accents dozens of times. Paired with the waggle of his eyebrows and the soft little kiss to her hand, it made perfect sense that about half of their female witnesses got at least a little crush on him.

He even ordered her favorite beer without having to ask her what it was. Attentive and sweet to boot. Why the hell was he here with her? Mary shook off the feel of his lips on her skin and found that she still hadn't managed to pull her fingers from his. Frankly, Marshall didn't seem to mind and Mary was still feeling a little of the cold that had creeped into her skin when he'd let go of her in the car.

There was something that felt incredibly good in the warmth of his skin against hers. Mary found herself smiling at Marshall yet again as he used chopsticks to put three different foods onto a small plate which he then put in front of her with a challenge written in the arch of his eyebrow. "You know, Marshall, I don't usually put just anything in my mouth on someone's say so."

"Oh, I know that, Mare, but you trust me enough, don't you?" Long fingers folded on the table around his own bottle of beer. "Besides, you want to know what I picked for you, right? Can't let that curiosity eat you up."

His lips smiled in a little twist, the one he wore when he knew he'd beaten her at one of their little verbal games. She loved that smile. "Fine, but I'm still kicking your ass if any of this is disgusting."

"Agreed, and I'll tell you what you're eating after you've tried all three dishes." She could feel the warmth just in his eyes as she sighed dramatically and reached for the fork he'd gotten for her.

"You know I can use chopsticks, so what's up with the knife and fork?"

He smiled and was cute again. /So weird, how did I not notice?\\ Long fingers poked one chopstick at a filling-unidentified dumpling on her plate. "Ever tried to cut one of these in half with chopsticks?" Marshall slid the other set of sticks to her side of the table with an arch of his eyebrow. "Not in either of our skill sets. Here, Mary-san, prove your cultural mastery of the Asian eating utensils."

"Mary-san?" Mary arched her own eyebrow in a bad imitation of him. "Do I look Japanese to you, Doofus?" She found herself squeezing the hand still holding hers a little. Surprising really, that they had both managed to do so much in the last few minutes one-handed. "Are your eyes failing, or your mind?"

"As you know, Mary-san, I am a man of much knowledge and many skills. The word 'san' is a sign of deep and formal respect in Japan. That doesn't mean there are any restrictions about the ethnicity of the respected person."

"Yeah, and how many origami animals have you filled your mother's basement with already?"

"Banter all you like, Mary-san, but I do notice that you're not eating yet. Afraid?" Strong fingers returned her squeeze, seeming just a little focused on the paled skin on her ring finger. "Is Marshall Mary Shannon admitting that she's a coward?"

He must be trying to get himself shot again. But Mary knew she had to rise to the bait. No one, not even Marshall, got to question her bravery. "And this is?" She touched the tips of her chopsticks to the dumpling.

"Gun mandu." Marshall touched the other two items with his chopsticks. "And this is your Anago, and that is my Negi Toro." He pointed those chopsticks at her in a vaguely threatening manner. "And no, I'm not translating those into English until you've tasted all three. Well, Mare? What's it going to be?"

Dumplings were always safe. But he'd called her a coward. Hesitating with her chopsticks in the air, Mary turned them sharply to the Anago he'd ordered for her. The sparkle in his eyes and the dark twist in his smile as he'd ordered had said that this item was the one with the highest danger points. /Damn he's got me using gamer references.\\ She didn't allow herself any caution, pinching her chopsticks around the Anago and took a big bite. Well, she wasn't going to have to kick his ass. It had a weird texture, but tasted pretty good. But even better than whatever it was in her mouth, was the wide smile on Marshall's lips. And that smile got even wider as she chewed and swallowed. "Well, I don't have to kill you yet. Let's see if your luck holds."

"If I'm not getting beaten by the Anago, I think I'm safe. But if you're too scared to try the others…"

"You're trying to get yourself beaten to a pulp with all the comments. Is this some new death wish, or just a deep masochistic kink coming to the surface?" Mary reached for his sushi with a slow smile. "Pervis,"

His smile made her give him one back in the instant before she took a bite. Marshall had smiled more since they'd sat down in this booth than he had in the three weeks to a month before this. That look on his face was worth a hell of a lot more to her than food preferences. If she'd known it would make him smile like that, she'd have eaten the table and grinned the whole time. The sushi that even Mary, with her lack of restaurant Japanese, could recognize as spicy tuna was a breeze. "Well, Mare, am I a masochist?"

"Maybe if you'd ordered the wimpy spicy tuna for me… but since you chose the newbie sushi for yourself, I'll let you off the hook." She took a quick sip of beer before reaching for the third item on her plate. It was some kind of dumpling and therefore far too safe to let her beat his ass. With the first bite, she fell in love with the restaurant. This was easily the best dumpling she'd ever had. "Hmm… I guess you're safe from a beating, but only if you order some more of these dumplings."

"I'm impressed, Marshal Mary Shannon. You identified everything but Anago without the translation." He was smiling yet again as he divided all three foods onto both their plates. "Do you still want to know all of them?"

He was cute again. And still holding her hand. This was the warmth and affection she'd called him for. This, right here, at this man's side was where she needed to be. "Will I still want to eat it if I do?"

"My kick-ass Mary… yeah, I think you will."

/Your Mary…\\ She found her eyes dropping away from his, locking onto the beer in her hand. But she couldn't pull away from the grip of his fingers around hers. /When anyone else says that, I'm reaching for my gun… but this is Marshall… this is My Marshall.\\ Mary slugged back a swallow of beer and dredged up a sarcastic response. "Well, do you need your Japanese-English dictionary or what?"

She still loved the twist of his smile, but just now it made something twist in her chest. His grip tightened on her hand and Mary couldn't tell which one of them was holding on tighter. "Remember that you said you liked it already… it's sea eel."

/Eel?\\ "Like snake-looking fish, eel?"

He nodded around a bite of sushi and cleared his throat. "Yes, though what's more interesting about this species of sea eel, is that it changes texture during the year, depending on what season it's fished in." Marshall gave her his patented trivia look. "Just by the smoothness of the meat, I can tell that it's fresh. I would never order Anago at just any sushi restaurant."

"It does take a certain level of trust doesn't it?" Mary tried to distract herself from the weird feeling between her ribs. "To order complicated food from someone named Billy with greasy hair and a sweat-stained wifebeater under his apron."

"That's my suspicious Mary."

/Marshall's Mary…I think I like that.\\

000


	3. Truth and Trust

Sushi?

By AnitaB

Chapter three: Truth and trust

It wasn't a date. But if he were to be completely honest with himself, this evening with Mary was twenty times better than any date he'd been on in years.

Marshall couldn't think of anything better than a night talking and eating with Mary Shannon. He'd spent the whole time lost in her smile, holding her hand more in one night than the last six years combined, and simply loving the attention and trust on her face. Mary had been just as focused on him as he had been on her. She'd watched his face, cracked jokes just to make him smile, and kept a tight grip on his hand all through dinner. He could have stayed in that booth in Shogun's forever, just stopped time with her skin against his and that smile on her lips and spent eternity with his Mary all to himself.

But no one had the kind of time machine he'd need to stop the clock with Mary so close to him. And if they tried to stay too much longer without one, Marshall expected that Keiko would call the cops just to get them out of her table.

Marshall smiled at Mary one more time across the table and forced his hand to let go of hers to sign the credit card receipt. He barely kept himself from reclaiming her hand on the way out to the car. If Marshall was going to control himself around her at work, he had to relearn how to keep his hands off her. If he let himself get addicted to Mary's warmth, he was going to reach for her and find her gun shoved into his ribs. He didn't think she'd buy the 'I thought I was following your lead' excuse if he pinned her against a wall with a hug and a kiss.

Marshall would cut his own hands off to never have to see the look of disgust and rejection that would be on her face as she pushed him away.

The amputation would hurt far, far less than losing her. When her car pulled up in front of his house, Marshall felt the cold slowly inching across every bit of his skin. He had only a few more moments with this softer, more open and affectionate Mary. The moment she drove off, he knew she'd be rebuilding and strengthening the walls she'd let him through tonight. By the next day of work, her walls might be thicker than they'd been in weeks.

He wasn't ready to let go yet. He couldn't let go. Marshall stared at his hand on her car door and searched his mind for a way to keep her from driving off and leaving him cold and alone. /Cold…\\

Marshall turned back with a smile. "It's not that late yet. I've got some ice-cream in the freezer and we could make coffee. Wanna come in for a little while?" His heart stopped in his chest for the span a few deep breaths before Mary turned off the engine and reached for her door handle.

"You know me and free food, Marshall. I like to come out ahead." A few steps from the side of her car, Mary smiled up at him and slid her fingers through his. He knew it was a bad idea, but he wasn't wasting a single damn second of her warmth. "And you paid for dinner, so I'm just raking it in with desert too."

"Well, I have had seven years to figure out what you like." He pulled her closer against his side and dug for his keys with his other hand. "I am your keeper, after all."

"You are a very good keeper." Mary lifted up on her toes at the same moment that he turned his head to see the smile he could hear in her voice. She must have been aiming for his cheek but the angle changed enough with his movement to set her lips square against his own. /Mary…\\ He should know better by now that Mary never actually meant to kiss him, that is was always an accident or part of the job. But he absolutely could not make his body listen to sense when Mary's lips touched his. He'd never been able to.

His fingers clenched on hers, his other hand flattened on her back to pull her closer. His head dipped even further to keep her lips against his. She felt… amazing, so soft and warm that he was losing his mind with even a chaste kiss. Mary hadn't pulled away yet and there was no stopping his body until she did. Marshall touched the tip of his tongue to her lips. He needed to know what she tasted like before his world fell apart around his feet. Before Mary killed him with a look of her eyes and the touch of her hands pushing him away.

But she didn't pull back, or push him away. There was no slap in the face or gun shoved into his ribs. Mary opened to him, instead. She stayed high on her toes and gave him enough room to slide an eager tongue past her lips to lose himself in the warm, sweet heaven of her kiss. /Mary, my Mary. Give me more. Need me as much as I need you.\\

Heaven didn't last long enough. Mary braced a hand against his ribs and sank to her heels, keeping him from following her lips down. "Marshall?"

The look on her face didn't kill him. Her fingers were shaking, both the set on his chest and the ones clasped in his. There was heat in her eyes, tempered by an edge of fear or confusion. But not an ounce or anger, disgust, or revulsion. This was going to kill him if it didn't work, but for the first time he had just enough hope to give it a try. "Do you trust me, Mary?"

She nodded sort of distractedly. Her eyes focused on his lips for a second that made his heart race before they lifted to his. "With my life. You're my partner."

/Good, that's a good place to start. But how far will you let me lead you.\\ Marshall nodded distractedly, pulling her a little closer against his chest. "You know I'd never hurt you." She nodded and it made him smile. "You trust me with your life, Mare. How about your heart?"

Now she was started to look just a little panicked but she didn't pull away. If anything, she flushed and pressed closer in his arms. "Marshall, this is … Fucking crazy. I mean… Jesus."

"Yeah, it's a little crazy. But it's even crazier that it hasn't happened yet." His hands rubbed the length of her back, tucking her closer and squeezing when her arms curled around his neck. "But I know we could be that insane goal. We could be that just right you've been wanting… for each other, with no doubts."

Something in her eyes flinched, she remembered what he couldn't forget about that conversation. It made her nervous but she didn't pull away. "What about arguments?"

"You argue like you breathe, Mary. Any man who couldn't hold his own in arguments with you would bore you in less than a month." He was getting through to her. Marshall was holding Mary in his arms, he could still taste her kiss on his tongue. She wasn't running, resisting, or hiding from him. "I plan to be around a hell of a lot longer than that." Marshall let himself raise one hand to run the tips of his fingers along her jaw and through her hair. He needed her to see his eyes, to know he meant everything he was saying. "I am the sweet, sensitive man who adores you and I know you better than anyone else. Trust me with your heart, Mary. I know I can be what you want. What you need. I know we can be perfect for each other. We already are."

Her lips parted but whatever she'd meant to say wasn't making it out. Mary closed her eyes and swallowed hard before she tried again. "I can't lose you, Marshall, and I don't want to hurt you." Her hands clung to his shoulders and he thrilled at the strength and need in her grip. /But you want me, don't you, Mare?\\

"I'm not going anywhere, Mary. We've established that. But if we do this… it's going to be real. We can't go back afterwards. So I have to know…Do you want me? Do you want this?" Marshall watched helplessly as thoughts flew across her face. He fought to hold still, not push until she'd made up her mind. But it wasn't easy when so much of the woman he loved was so close, when he could feel her warmth and taste her sweetness. "Please, Mary. Tell me yes, tell me no. But tell me now. My control isn't endless and I want this more than you could possibly believe."

He licked his lips, nervous at her silence. But something inside him preened when her eyes followed the tip of his tongue and she bit her lip. Mary had felt that kiss every bit as deeply as he had. She wanted more. And he would give it to her gladly, as soon as she asked for it. "Marshall…" Mary's arms tightened around his neck and he was helpless to resist, meeting her halfway. He gave her the kiss, but fought like hell to keep it gentle and sweet. As soon as she said the words, she could have him any way she wanted him. But not yet. It was physically painful to pull back, but he managed it.

"Say it, Mary. You have to tell me what you want. I will not make this decision for you, no matter how badly I want this." Her forehead rested against his, her eyes closed and her breathing went ragged. /Please, Mary. Please say it.\\

000

Never in a million years would she have believed it. She was standing in Marshall Mann's arms, with the taste of him on her tongue. And she wanted more. Who'd have guessed that he could kiss like that, that he could melt her every nerve in blistering heat with a simple, gentle, knowing kiss. She'd had full-blown sex that had affected her less than that first real kiss from Marshall.

And when she had barely managed to pull away from his lips, he just poured more heat through her nerves with every beautiful word and the heat on his face. He did know her better than anyone. He knew her so fucking well that sometimes she believed he knew what she was thinking and feeling before she did. /Like now.\\

He knew every single dark, sarcastic and violent bone in her body and he was still standing here with his arms around her saying every damn thing she'd ever wanted to hear from a man. But standing here on his porch, staring up at that look on his face, that need trembling the gentle fingers cupping her face… she could believe it. Mary couldn't doubt that he wanted this when she could feel that same heat pounding through her blood. "Marshall…"

She was only halfway up onto her toes when Marshall dipped his head to meet her partway. This kiss was just as hot, just as perfect, just as gentle. Marshall was burning her alive even as he fought to slow it down. She groaned as he pulled back, resting her forehead against his as she fought to catch her breath. "Say it, Mary. You have to tell me what you want. I will not make this decision for you, no matter how badly I want this." Her eyes fell closed and her breath escaped her lungs. Mary wanted to climb him and make him give her more. But she knew him almost as well as he knew her.

Marshall was just as stubborn as she was. He wouldn't touch her like he wanted to so damn badly until she gave him the words. But what words should they be? Mary kept her eyes closed so she could think without staring into his eyes. The look in them was robbing her of sense. If she let her hormones make this call, she would hurt Marshall. Mary would shoot herself before she deliberately cut his heart out like that.

But there was already no turning back. Mary could not look at him across the surface of their desks at work without wanting his arms holding her this tight, without needing his kiss. Without wondering if he was right about just how perfect they could be together. "You're sure, Marshall?"

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Mary. But you have to be sure too. Tell me." His hand cupped her cheek as he lifted his head to see her face better. Mary dragged in a few deep breaths and forced her eyes open. Marshall had never looked so scared in his life.

She wanted to kiss away that fear, to hold him so close he had to believe in the feelings swirling around in her chest. And she would, but her geeky, genius Marshall needed the words first. "I trust you, Marshall, with my life and my heart. I want this. I want you."

She could feel the relief move through every strong inch of the body against hers, could feel his heart racing against her ribs as he pulled her even closer. "You're sure, Mare, absolutely sure. No doubts." He was smiling at her even as his grip kept her from closing the distance between their lips.

"You're crazy, Marshall. But I'm sure." Mary leaned up a little closer, tightening her arms around him to bring him closer. "I want you, Marshall Mann." She never seen him look as happy in all the time she'd known him as he did right now. Mary had made him that happy with the truth and her trust in him. She had a new goal in life to see exactly that smile at least once a day. "So why aren't you kissing me, already?"

He brushed a chaste little kiss over her lips and pulled back before she got anything more than the flash of warmth. "I'd have to be crazy to keep up with you, My Mary. And we are not finishing this out here on the porch." Marshall pulled her hands from his neck to twine their fingers together and press a warm kiss to her knuckles. "Come inside,"

Mary watched his hand shake as he unlocked and opened his front door. She felt the heat in her blood ignite as he led her into his home. It took every ounce of her self-control to wait for the door to be closed and locked. And then Mary wasn't waiting anymore. She hadn't felt his hair in her hands, not since Trina's bachelorette party. It was time to change that. "Marshall," Mary buried both hands in his hair and dragged him into a kiss. She didn't want some gentle little touch of lips. She wanted to taste him, to explore everything about him. All of him, now. Mary plunged her tongue past his lips, desperate for his taste. And Marshall responded gorgeously. Strong hands clenched on her hips, dragging her flush against the strong, lean lines of his body. /More,\\ He groaned against her lips, his tongue battling for the right to explore her more thoroughly. /No, not done yet.\\ She used her grip on his hair to angle his head and claimed his mouth, dancing her tongue against his with a low, hungry sound.

He groaned and looped an arm under her hips. A second later, Mary found herself pinned against his living room wall with his hips pressed between her legs. "Mary," It was almost a growl and she felt the vibration of the sound thrum heat along her nerves. Marshall buried a hand in her hair and she found herself claimed in return. He kissed her hard, plunging an agile tongue into her mouth to explore. It felt so good to trust a guy enough to let him take the reins. This man was her equal in strength and will. /Marshall, my Marshall.\\ Mary wrapped her legs around his waist and gave herself over to his kiss. He smiled against her lips and deliberately gentled the kiss until it was a mere brush of skin against skin. And she let him, even let him pull back entirely. "That's my Mary. I've got you. You're mine and I'm not letting you go. And we're not rushing this." He gave her a quick, hard kiss until her nails dug into his back. And then he pulled back with a breathless sound. "Hold on tight."

She couldn't really help but hold on when he lifted her from the wall and started to carry her to his bedroom. Mary wouldn't normally let a man carry her anywhere, but this was Marshall. "Not even a little bit of a rush?" She licked the edge of his jaw, nibbled along the tense line of his throat. "You sure I can't change your mind about that?" Mary smiled against his pulse and rocked her hips against the hard ridge at the front of his jeans. She was going to feel that for herself, going to touch and taste every inch of the amazing man in her arms. /Fucking hell, finally.\\

"Patience, my sweet Mary." His arm tightened, both holding her still and pressing her harder against his hips. "I'm going to give you everything… at my pace." He shifted her against his body to get one hand free. Those fingers touched her jaw, angled her head up to lock their eyes. His grin held just a little evil and a whole lot of eager. "Go ahead and fight me for control every step of the way if you want to. I can hold my own with you, Mary. I'm the only one who can."

It was like he didn't want her to be able to breathe. She found her fingers fisted in his hair and tried to steal his ability to breathe with a deep, hard kiss. "Get me to bed and we'll just see who loses control first." It wouldn't be fair to molest him while he was doing the walking… but since when had she ever played fair. Mary smiled against his lips and started exploring the exposed line of his neck with lips, tongue, and teeth. She simply adored the low, needy sound vibrating against her tongue. He tried with the grip of his arms to guide her head down onto his shoulder. But Mary wasn't giving up so easily. She pressed her lips into the hollow of his throat and kissed her way back up to nibble at his ear. "Ready to rush yet, Marshall?"

"Not yet." He kicked the door way and dropped her unceremoniously onto his bed. "Badge, gun and phone." She found herself watching his hands as he stripped off his own gear and put it in a drawer of his nightstand. Those hands were going to be all over her body, long, slender fingers and strong palms. She wanted those hands on her skin. "Mare, your gear…"

"Yeah, of course," She shook her head and dragged her eyes off his hands to focus on the practical step. Mary handed over her gun and fumbled her badge and phone off her belt to pass over. "Here," Her eyes followed the length of her arm to his hand, then up to the lean strength of his shoulders and the need and warmth on his face. Mary couldn't believe she was so fucking lucky. This amazing man wanted her. He'd risked everything for her more times than she could count. He was smart, loyal, strong, compassionate, and crazy enough to be all that and still interested in her. Mary was about to make love with her partner and best friend and she couldn't think of a damn thing she'd ever done to be worthy of a second of his time. By the time he'd put her stuff next to his and turned back, she was kneeling on the edge of his bed and reaching for him. "Marshall," Mary flung her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a slow, tender, deep kiss. She'd never get enough of him, but damn if she wasn't gonna try her hardest.

000


	4. All's fair in love and bed

Sushi?

By AnitaB

Chapter four: All's fair in love and bed.

The battle of wills was beginning, but he'd meant what he'd said about being able to hold his own. No one worked with Mary Shannon as long or as successfully as he did without being just as stubborn as she was. And they were not rushing this if he had to tame and gentle back her urgency every few minutes. Besides, he would never, ever get enough of her kiss. Marshall didn't let himself keep her in his arms when he got to the edge of his bed. He stripped off his gun, badge, cuffs, and phone before asking for hers.

Something stopped in his chest at the way she was looking at him as she put her gun in his hand. Mary looked at him like she loved him. He knew exactly how wearing that look felt, he'd done it so often in the last few years. Marshall forced himself to finishing putting her gear in the drawer with his before he turned back to the woman of his dreams, in his bed, reaching for him. "Marshall,"

Her voice had never sounded like that before. It stole his breath even before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into the softest, sweetest kiss he'd ever had. Marshall didn't know Mary could be this soft, but he'd hoped. Marshall wrapped his arms tight around the curve of her waist and willingly got lost in the tender depth of her kiss. /Mary, my Mary.\\

Keeping the woman he loved as close as he could, Marshall joined her on the bed, sliding one knee between hers. Every inch of her body pressed closer against his chest, her hips rocking just a little against his. "Mary," He braced one hand low against her back, keeping her hips still against his own and went back to her lips for another kiss. Marshall needed her taste on his tongue before he tried to speak. Pulling back with a groan, he treasured the equally breathless sound on her lips and the little bite of her nails at the back of his neck. Mary wanted more of him and he was going to give her absolutely anything she wanted. But Marshall wanted every little bit of her too. "Mary, you have no idea how much this means to me. I've wanted to touch you for so damn long." He watched her face as he stroked the tips of his fingers down the curve of her cheek to tilt up her chin.

Mary's eyes fluttered and her voice caught in her throat. Her fingers were shaking as they moved to mirror his on her face. "So touch me, Marshall. We don't have to wait anymore."

He knew he was smiling as he guided her onto her back, her hair finally spread out over his pillow. "Lay back and hold on, Mare. I'm taking you up on that." Marshall rubbed his hands up her ribs to slide the length of her arms up until her fingers curled on their own around the bars of his headboard. His Mary trusted him, really trusted him enough to lay quietly under his hands and restrain herself. "That's my Mary, hold on tight for me." He'd been watching this woman for years now… where did he want to start?

Marshall smiled against her lips and decided. Every single time she ran her fingers through her hair, he had wanted to fist his hands in that hair and claim every inch of her throat with his lips. Now he finally could. Sinking all ten fingers into her hair, Marshall dragged the tip of his tongue from her collarbone to her jaw. She arched and moaned under him so prettily that he just had to give the other side the same treatment followed up with the lightest of bites over her pulse. "Marshall, please."

Mary was begging… for him… /Sweet god, yes.\\ Marshall was harder than he'd ever been in his life and neither of them had lost even one piece of clothing. "You taste so damn sweet, Mare. Give me more." Her groan vibrated his lips as he kissed his way down her throat to the open collar of her shirt. Her ribs shifted with a gasp and he lingered at the spot under his mouth. He stroked the flat of his tongue into that dip at her collarbones just to hear the gasp become a whimper. /My Mary, I've got you.\\ Marshall clenched his hands against the curve of her waist before he raised his head. The grip kept her from following his lips up. "I'm going to touch and taste every gorgeous inch of you, Mary. Think you can be that patient?"

"Fuck no, Marshall." Her hips arched up against his and they both groaned a low, desperate sound. "I want more, faster. Now." Her knees shifted, making his hips notch perfectly between her thighs to the sound of two breathless groans. "And I can tell you want it too, Marshall." She was pushing, but he couldn't help but notice and adore that her hands stayed clenched on his headboard. Mary really did trust him like this. It almost made him hurry. "Give me more,"

/No, not rushing. Loving my Mary. This is so much more than just sex. \\ "Soon enough, impatient girl. Soon enough." Marshall forced his body out from between her knees and came to his own above her. "I promised you everything, Mary. We have time for fast later, much later." He let his hands finally reach for her buttons. Years now, he wanted to unfasten these buttons. Marshall leaned down to catch her lips with his just to feel her try to follow his lips without letting go of his headboard. "Some of the time I might just rip off all your clothes and take you hard up against a wall. Would you like that, Mare?"

Now she let go. Her hands left the headboard and dug her nails into his back through his shirt. Somehow Mary managed to wrap her legs around his waist and forced her body tight against his hips. Then she growled in his ear. "I know for a fact you've got an entire closet full of clothes not ten feet away. So don't make me rip these ones off you in shreds." His arms reflexively clenched around her waist, holding her in place for the arch and rock of his hips into hers. "I mean, Jesus, Marshall, come on, already."

"No, Mary." He forced his hips still and pulled her up across his lap to claim her lips for a deliberately gentle kiss. "This is too important for both of us. I'm not taking you until I'm good and ready."

"You feel pretty… ready… to me." Her hips circled against his and her hands started to open the buttons on his shirt. "Please, Marshall. You feel… so fucking good and Goddammit, I want more." While all his concentration was on the moan on her lips and the heat of her body so close against his own, his tricksy little Mary had unbuttoned his shirt and tried to shove it off his shoulders. "Now, Marshall."

"Mary," He smiled and stole a kiss of his own for the feel of her hands clenching against the bare skin of his arms. "Yours first." He cheated, dipping his head to place a line of gentle little bites along the top edge of her tank top. "I'm not done touching you." Her hands left his skin to meet his on the front of her shirt. Together they unfastened enough buttons to peel both the dress shirt and the tank beneath off over her head. Mary. His Mary was sitting in his lap in jeans and a bra and he had never in his life seen anything so beautiful. "Mary," It was almost painful to wait the few seconds it took to peel his over shirt off so his skin could finally feel hers. Marshall pulled her tight against his chest and wrapped his arms around the warmth of her body. "Tight, Mare, hold me tighter."

"Always," Every inch of her body shifted so damn perfectly to put more of her skin against his. Mary rubbed her hands across his shoulders and up into his hair. Even her face tucked close against his, so close he could feel her breathing hitch against his ear. Marshall ran both his hands up and down the entire length of her back, feeling every warm, sweet inch of her skin. "Lose the fucking undershirt unless you want it for gun-cleaning rags."

That was his Mary. Sweet one moment and violent the next. And every inch of her was his. "Yes, ma'am." Marshall was smiling as he leaned back on his heels and peeled the cloth off over his head. That grin faded into something far deeper and more serious as he watched Mary look at him… like that. She was kneeling across his lap looking at him like he was every single Christmas present she'd ever wanted and never thought she'd get. Her fingers were shaking as she reached out for him. The hands he'd been thinking about for years were trembling as they moved to his chest, skin to glorious skin. "Mary, please."

"Shh, Marshall. I'm not done touching you." Her voice was soft, hesitant, and just as damn sweet as the slow, careful slide of all ten of her fingers from his shoulders to his belt and back up to cover his heart. Marshall hooked his fingers tightly in the belt loops of her jeans just to keep himself from rushing her now. Nothing, nothing in the entire world could possibly feel better than his Mary in his arms touching him so slowly, so damn sweetly he couldn't breathe under the heat of her palms guarding his heart. /I'm yours, Mary, every inch of me. Take whatever you want, whatever you need.\\ He couldn't just sit still under the slide of her hands over his skin, the drag of her nails. Marshall fought his nerves to a compromise and touched his hands to the smooth, warm curve of her waist just above the edge of her jeans and slowly pulled her closer until her arms curled around his neck and every inch of exposed skin was touching.

She was burning him alive, and that was before she reached for his lips with a low, desperate groan of his name. Marshall buried himself in her kiss, welcoming the peaceful dance of her tongue against his. Urgency snuck up on him. It wasn't enough. He needed more of her skin, more of her kiss, more of her taste and warmth. And he needed it now. Marshall found himself dragging her bra out of the way and finally stroked his tongue over the softest, sweetest skin on the planet. And all to the sound of Mary's voice calling out his name. /Delicious,\\

Every inch of her body arched, shivered and trembled in his arms. Her nails dug into the back of his neck and her legs tightened around his waist. It wasn't enough. Marshall would never get enough of her.

000

So fucking hot. Marshall was burning her alive and it was so damn perfect she couldn't breathe, or speak, or think. Her mind couldn't manage anything other than his name and the word more. She adored the feel of his skin under her hands, the stillness and strength of his muscles shifting under her fingers. Mary fucking loved the look of desperate need in his eyes as his hands touched the naked skin of her waist. She loved that this stubborn strong-willed man was fighting his every nerve to let her explore at her pace.

She loved even more that his control shredded under the stroke of her hands, the grip of her arms, and the warmth of her kiss. Marshall growled low and sweet against her tongue and attacked her bra. Mary was the one almost growling as his tongue finally burned a hot, wet path over her nerves. Her body nearly shook itself apart at the heat and pull of his mouth finally, finally on her breast. She clung to his neck just to stay upright because she would do anything for one more second of his touch, for just a little more of her Marshall. Her man.

Strong hands cupped her hips, forcing her higher on her knees and up off his lap before sliding up her back in a drag of heat. His fingers spread wide against her ribs to keep her from wiggling back against his hips. And she was trying to get back down against him. The feel of her Marshall wanting her, fully erect even through two layers of jeans was just too damn good to give up willingly. But then those smart-alec, trivia spouting lips felt pretty fucking good too. And his tongue… /Goddamnit, yes.\\

"Mary," He looked up at her with those eyes and it was like he wanted her to melt right here in his lap. "You taste delicious, so perfect. I want more… all of you." Marshall loosened his grip just enough to let her steal a kiss before he curved his hands around her upper thighs and guided her back up against his chest. And even the heat of his fingers through the fabric wasn't enough to distract her from trying to get back to his hips. "We'll get… there… but I've got so much more I want to do with you first." Marshall gave her eyes that were filled with a glorious mixture of heat and patience. It was so fucking hard to resist pushing for more, faster. If she could just get her fingers to the zipper of his jeans, Mary knew she could get him to hurry.

If his kiss could set her on fire, she could only imagine the heat of holding him naked inside her body. "Marshall," Her hips arched, circling against his body just to feel his hands tighten and hear his low groan. "I'm not that patient a person and …Goddammit, I want you."

"Oh, you're getting me, Mary. There's no doubt about that." His low chuckle shook against her ribs and made her eyes fall closed. She'd never in her life imagined that she could make him sound like that. "Before either one of us goes to sleep tonight, you're going to have me any damn way you want me." He gave her a wide smile before he pressed a sweet, hot kiss right over her heart. "But I'm not rushing… not yet." Marshall licked his lips and guided her nipple into his mouth for a quick, hard pull and a pointed lick. "First, I want you out of those jeans."

"You're getting naked if I have to cut yours off after I handcuff you to the headboard." Mary let his hands hold her still, but ran her hands up and down the corded strength of his arms. "Just so you know."

"Agreed, but I think we should save the handcuffs for a different time." Those strong hands shifted, his fingers somehow finding responsive nerves even through the denim. "Lay back, Mary, and lift your hips."

Just the sound of his voice sent a shiver up her back as he guided her down onto his sheets and reached for her belt. /Finally… finally going to feel him.\\ Her back arched as his fingers pulled down the zipper and unfastened the button, lifting to help him drag the jeans and underwear down the length of her thighs to be thrown over his shoulder. His eyes wandered over her body and it was like a hot laser burning over her skin. Even without a single inch of his skin against hers, Mary felt like she was about to spontaneously combust. "Marshall, please."

His sudden smile only put the heat in her blood higher. Then he rested one strong hand on her bare thigh and she felt the trembling move through her entire body. "Please what, my Mary? What do you want?"

/You, Damnit, now. Touching. Skin.\\ Words just weren't happening. He'd stolen her ability to speak with the heat of that one hand on her leg and the fire in his eyes. She groaned and wrapped her shaking fingers around his wrist and dragged him up over her body. The heat of his body against hers forced just a little breath out of her lungs. "Marshall," Tighter, she needed him closer, hotter… now. Mary wrapped every inch of her hungry skin around the lean, hard muscles of his naked upper body. The sound on his lips only made speaking harder. Then his hands dragged heat up the length of her thighs to clench on her waist, rubbing jean clad hips into hers. "Jesus, Marshall, more."

He pressed a kiss to her lips, but pulled back before she could get more than a quick taste. Marshall laughed, low and sweet against her skin, making her thighs tightened against the lean strength of his ribs. "Tell me, Mary. I'm not taking you until you ask for it."

No more waiting. "Marshall," Mary shifted her grip on his shoulders and pinned him between her body and his mattress. "God, Marshall, stop torturing me." She adored the wide, happy smile on his lips as his hands clenched where hers had been on the headboard. Lean, strong muscle. Smooth, hot skin. And it was finally all hers to touch, taste, and explore. "My Marshall, all mine."

He groaned into her kiss, arching under the pressure of her hips over his. "Take what you need, my sweet Mary. I'm yours." He was hers and she was taking him. Inch by strong gorgeous inch.

"Hold on tight, Marshall. Now it's my turn." Mary sat up across his hips, helplessly rocking against the erection she wanted inside her more than anything. "God, I love that you want me this much." His hips matched the movement, driving a breathless little moan to her lips. "Gonna feel so fucking good to finally have you." She forced her hips still and leaned down over him to run hungry hands over every single inch of his lean chest. "Jesus, you feel so fucking good."

"Touch me, Mary, before I take back control and take you." The growl on his lips pulled her close for a kiss and Marshall responded eagerly. Those lips and that tongue tried to steal her control with a rush of heat and need. Mary would never get enough of kissing Marshall. Not in a million years. Burying both hands in his hair, she deepened the kiss, trying to explore every single inch of his amazing mouth. It wasn't enough. Mary needed more. Dragging her lips from his with a groan, she kissed her way down the arched line of his throat to the sound of his ragged breath. "Mary, please."

/Not yet, Marshall, I'm not done.\\ Mary braced her hands low on his stomach, giving him a smile before running her lips and tongue over every single muscular line of his chest. She loved the feel of him under her lips, against her teeth. She adored the salt and sweet of his skin under her tongue. Mary wrapped her lips around each nipple, stroked her tongue over his shooting scar. And through it all, Marshall moaned, growled and arched for her without once letting go of the headboard. /That's my Marshall, need me, need more.\\ She smiled against his ribs and kissed a line over his chest to feel his heart pounding under her tongue. "I've got you, Marshall. Gonna touch and taste every inch of you. Think you can be that patient for me?"

"I'll try, if you give me another kiss." Marshall was staring down his chest at her and licked his lips. She was never going to be able to look at his mouth again without wanting a kiss. "Mary, get up here." Mary shook her head and spent another few moments licking her way down his stomach to press a simple kiss right above his belt buckle. Under the light scrape of her teeth over his skin, he broke. Strong hands caught in her hair a second before she was lifted across his ribs and into an embrace. "My Mary, need you, need more." Marshall cupped her face in trembling fingers and pulled her into a deep, wild kiss. He was drinking her in like a man dying of thirst.

It was a new goal in her life to make damn sure that Marshall got everything he ever needed or wanted, and kisses were just the beginning of what she wanted to give him. "That's my good boy, now hold on tight."

He weakly dragged his hands off her skin and curled his fingers around the headboard with a low, delicious growl. "Better hurry, Mary, I'm close to breaking."

/Good, I can't wait to steal all your control.\\ Mary just smiled into a kiss over his heart before teasing each of his nipples with a stroke of her tongue and a nibble of her teeth. She adored the helpless arching of his back and rocking of his hips. That was right, he was still dressed. Time to changed that fucking fact. Mary hid a wide smile against the skin of his stomach, dragging her tongue across the skin just above his jeans. Her fingers fought the buckle, button and zipper under the cover of her hair spread out over his waist. "That's my Marshall, hold on a little longer." Finally she got her fingers around the erection he'd been teasing her with for what felt like hours. And the way he felt in her hands… /Jesus, yes, Marshall.\\ Hot, hard, smooth, it jerked against her fingers with the thrust of his hips. Nothing had ever felt better than Marshall in her hands, except just maybe the way his hands fisted in her hair and the sound of his voice.

"Oh sweet fuck, Mary! Damnit, please!" Every single inch of his body reacted to the helpless tightening and stroking of her fingers up and down his length.

That was what she wanted every goddamn day for the rest of their lives, Marshall so close and feeling so damn good.

000


	5. Always yours

Sushi

By AnitaB

Chapter five: Always yours

Mary was killing him, but good god it felt amazing. She was absolutely bare in his arms, every glorious inch exposed to hungry eyes and desperate hands. She was smiling into each little touch of her lips to his skin, licking and nibbling at every single responsive nerve in his body like she had a map to them already in her mind. And his Mary wanted him to keep his hands off her in the process. /My sweet Mary. So beautiful, so strong.\\ He could do anything for her, but holding back was getting harder and harder to manage. Sorta like him. Marshall was so fucking hard he thought he was about to burst through his jeans without either one of them touching the zipper.

But if she kept kissing and touching her way down his stomach they were going to find out just how flexible denim could be. The spill of her hair so low against his body had him imagining that warm silk fisted in his hands as Mary's mouth robbed him of all sense and blew his self-control all to hell.

Marshall helplessly clenched his hands around the bars and stared down at the gorgeous demon kissing so low on his stomach all he could feel was her lips. Every nerve in his body was focused completely on the smooth wet heat she was painting over his skin. He barely even heard the words she whispered into the stroke of her lips.

And then the entirety of the world ceased to exist except for the woman joyously killing him. "Oh sweet fuck, Mary! Damnit, please!" All he could feel was the perfect slide of her hands around his erection and the hot silk of her hair in his hands. /Yes, please, more, Mary.\\

He wanted her, wanted to touch her, kiss her, bury himself inside her. He needed every burning hot inch of his beautiful Mary as close as biology or physics would allow. Closer. Marshall wanted, needed more… now. He forced his eyes open and his head up, looking down to beg her to get up here and take him. He only got as far as locking his eyes to hers and her name. "Mary," Then his Mary smiled up at him with his death in her eyes. She wanted to break him open and sweet hell, she knew exactly how to do it. Those hot eyes stayed on his face as she lowered her lips to kiss the very tip of his shaft with a dark smile and a skillful flick of her tongue.

So hot, so damn sweet. This was about her, not him. Marshall should be burying her in enough pleasure to melt her brain out her ears. There was no way in hell that he should let her… /Oh, god, please, Mary.\\ … but his hands were listening to the heat in his blood not the few remaining brain cells in his head. His fingers in hers hair tightened, guiding her closer even as his head arched back. Marshall would have worried about hurting or offending her, but this was Mary. She didn't do anything she didn't want to do. And she smiled around his tip before proceeding to suck his brains out through his hips.

She robbed him of speech, of thought, of everything but the bare sensory heaven of hot, wet, deep pleasure. Marshall fought to keep his hips still and control his hands, but Mary wasn't about to leave him an ounce of control. She moaned around his length, pulling him even deeper as her eyes met his with an eager gleam and a challenge. Mary wanted to break his control into shattered bits. She wanted him to spill over right where he was. And he was about three strokes of her tongue from giving her exactly that.

/Fuck, no, not like this.\\ Marshall had to hold his own, had to show Mary he was worthy of her, of keeping her close. And shattering like a virgin at his first blow job was not the way to do it. "Mary!" Rallying every damn ounce of self-control left in his body, he dragged her up his chest and rolled to pin her against his sheets. His hands locked around her wrists and put those dangerous little fingers above her head. "Not like this, Mare, not so fast. I'm nowhere near done with you." Marshall gave himself license for one deep, breathless, amazing taste of her lips before he forced himself back from her kiss. "I'm not one of those little boys you can control. You're shattering first if I have to tie you to this headboard to keep you from distracting me."

"Marshall," Her body arched under his, her legs trying to pull him against the gorgeous heat between her thighs. He let her wrap her legs around his hips and rocked once against her heat just to watch her eyes fall closed and hear her voice. "Marshall, please." Marshall couldn't help a breathless sound of his own at the feel of everything he wanted so close. But that wasn't the plan. /Not yet.\\

"You had your turn to taste, now it's mine." It hurt to pull back from the heat of her skin, but he wanted more. Marshall wanted to know exactly what she tasted like, needed to watch her come apart under his hands, his mouth. "Every inch, remember?" He smiled against the racing beat of her heart before kissing and exploring his way down to her hips. She was trembling under him, her nails biting into his shoulders and her voice sending heat through his blood. "That's my girl, Mare. Hold on tight." Marshall hesitated a moment to catch his breath and guide her knees over his shoulders. Seven years. He'd been at her side for seven years. And he'd wondered exactly what this would be like for a good portion of those years. Now he finally had Mary in his arms, in his bed. "So damn sweet," He lowered his head and helplessly stroked his tongue through the hot, sweet proof of just how much she needed him.

"Marshall," Her voice came with the helpless arch of her entire body and the sharp bite of her nails. She was so beautiful that he couldn't breathe. Good thing that he was too busy to focus on breathing anyway. Marshall stroked all his fingers over the warm smooth silk of her skin until her hips were cradled in his hands. He planned to keep her right here for a while whether or not she planned to rush him. He would never get enough of her taste and the sweet response of her body.

"Right here, Mary. I've got you." Marshall shifted his grip, holding her completely still for the next plunge of his tongue inside her heat. She was delicious, so sweetly responsive, and everything he'd ever wanted in his life. "That's my Mary. You taste so damn good." He adored the gorgeous helpless trembling of her muscles against his skin. He had her. He really had her, naked in his bed, in his arms, shaking with pleasure that he was giving her. This was heaven and he wasn't ever, ever leaving. Bracing his fingers wide against the trembling muscles of her thighs, Marshall pulled out every single trick he'd ever read about to show Mary just how much he loved her. He wanted this, wanted to feel her climax in his arms.

And she was so close to giving him just that. He could hear it in her voice, in the way his name was getting harder and harder to understand on her lips with each stroke of his tongue between her thighs. /More, Mary. Give me everything.\\

Her nails sank deep into the back of his neck and her entire body arched in his hands. /Almost, Mare, right here.\\

"Marshall!" How she'd gotten one foot to his shoulder, he couldn't say, but she used it to force him up and back. That was his Mary to a T. Marshall found himself sitting back on his heels with Mary climbing across his lap. His hands automatically moved to the curve of her hips, mindlessly pulling her close enough to feel her heat almost where he needed her the most. "Goddamnit, Marshall! No more waiting. Jesus, man, get in here."

"Yes, ma'am." He smiled at her and stroked his fingers along the line of her jaw. "But I want a kiss first. Gimme a taste, Mare." Marshall adored the way her eyes locked on his lips and her tongue stroked over her own. Growling low in his throat, he crossed that small distance and claimed her sweet lips for a hard, deep kiss. He fought for control as Mary's body rocked and moved against his, pressing so close that he could feel her thighs trembling through the cloth of his jeans.

Jeans. He was not burying himself inside the gorgeous woman in his arms with his jeans still in the way. There was no way he could do everything he needed to do with any clothes hampering them both. "Marshall, please, now."

He groaned low in his throat and forced his hands to push her back instead of pull her closer. "Not yet, Mare, you wanted me naked, right?" Closing his fingers tight against the curve of her hips, Marshall pressed her backwards onto his sheets and dragged himself out from between her knees. "Hold still, Mary, just for a second." He knew that look on her face. That was his impatient Mary. He had only seconds to lose his clothes before she was going to climb him just as he was. "Lie back, hold onto the bars for me."

"Are you crazy, Marshall?" He watched her kneel in the middle of his bed and reach for him. /So damn beautiful, my sweet Mare.\\ It almost made him go back to her arms with his pants still around his hips. /No, Damnit, not yet.\\ "Get back here right now."

"Soon, Mary. And you're what's made me crazy. Lie back and wrap those gorgeous fingers around the bars if you want me to touch you." She hesitated long enough for him to get his shoes off and shove the jeans to his knees. Mary met his eyes and slowly stretched the length of her body against his sheets. Her hands closed on the headboard as his jeans were finally kicked off. "That's my girl. Just another second and you can have me however you want me." It took all of his self-control to reach for a condom in his nightstand instead of climbing right back between her thighs completely bare. Today he'd keep her safe. Someday soon, Marshall would slide inside her with absolutely nothing between them, would get to feel her heat unguarded.

Watching her face as she watched his hands sheath his length made breathing or thinking almost impossible. Mary wanted him. Mary wanted him so much and it was all right there, written on her face. This was the fantasy he'd buried so deep inside his mind just so he wouldn't grab her at work and kiss her breathless.

And now it was real. It was happening right here, right now. Mary naked in his bed, actually looking at him with so much heat and trust on her face that he was waiting to wake up alone, sweaty and under soiled sheets. Just like he had more times than he could count. "Marshall, goddamnit. I need you now." It was real. Mary wanted him and she was going to get him. Marshall heard his own voice growling her name in the instant that he lost his grip on the last of his control. The next thing he knew, he was in her arms, sliding every needy inch of himself deeper into her heat. "Fuck, yes, Marshall, finally."

Every inch of both their bodies strained to be even closer. He could feel her, every gorgeous inch of her holding him closer, tighter. Her arms curled around his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hips arched to press him just a little bit deeper. There was nothing he wanted more. "Mary," She felt so damn good, under him, around him. She fit him so fucking perfectly it was all he could do to breathe at the feel of her. Marshall tightened his arms around her waist and caught her lips with his. He needed this, needed to soak in the feel of his Mary as close as he could get her, holding him so tight with every inch of her body and opening for his kiss. /Mary, my sweet Mary.\\

000

Only the low growl in his voice kept her on his bed when he was finally losing the last of his clothes too far out of reach. But when Mary did force her body to stretch out against his sheets and reach again for his headboard, the look on his face was reward enough. She had never seen so much heat in a man's eyes, never needed a smile on a man's lips. This was Marshall. This was her Marshall and she was about to finally, finally feel him inside her.

The slide of his long fingers over his own erection had her hands fisting on the bars. She wanted that gorgeous length in her hands, in her body, wanted every lean, hard inch of his body so close against her own, to feel him in her every aching nerve. And Mary wanted it all right fucking now. "Marshall, goddamnit. I need you now." He'd never moved so fast in all their years together and he did it growling her name. Suddenly the body she'd been staring at was finally against and inside her own. "Fuck, yes, Marshall, finally."

He felt… perfect, so damn good that all she could do was hold him as close as possible and try to breathe. So hot, so hard, so deep. Marshall was warm under her hands, wrapped tight in her legs, and buried so deliciously deep inside her. Every nerve in her body trembled and burned at the rush of feeling. And it was so much more than physical. This was Marshall, the only man in the world she had ever trusted and needed. It was wildly passionate and weirdly peaceful at the same time. /Marshall's inside me. My Marshall's holding me.\\ Mary knew that words were beyond her, but tried to show him exactly what this was doing to her in the slow, sweet, gentle meeting of their lips.

This was heaven, perfection, and yet not enough. Mary could stand to hold him just like this every single day for the rest of her life and it still might not be enough. His hips shifted against hers, driving a helpless little sound up her throat and her nails into his back. She broke the kiss, needing to see his face. Mary wanted to watch the pleasure in his eyes, needed to see his smile when he was closer to her than anyone had ever been. "Marshall," She buried her fingers in his hair and locked her eyes to his. Nothing was more gorgeous than the heat in his face and the need in his eyes. "That's my Marshall."

Her voice simply stopped in her throat at the stroke of his trembling fingers along her jaw. Marshall's touch was… nothing she'd ever expected. Every inch of his body was against or inside hers, but it was those fingers cradling her face that sent the heat in her blood skyrocketing. No one, no one had ever touched her like she was precious before, like she was loved. No one had ever held her like she mattered this much. "Mary," His voice heightened the effect, spilling heat up her every hungry nerve. "My sweet Mary. My perfect Mary."

/Yours. Your Mary.\\ Catching his face in her hands, Mary pulled him close for another kiss even as her hips moved under his. His low groan tasted so sweet as he moved in kind. She held him tight through the first few thrusts of his body into hers, slow but so deliciously deep. It felt so good she couldn't think past the scream of all her nerves for the next plunge, the next kiss, the next touch. It was so gentle, so caring… so fucking good. But she could feel the trembling in every inch of his body as he fought to hold himself back. That wasn't what she wanted. Marshall was more than a match for her in every way. And she was a match for him. Mary could hold her own with everything he had to give. There was no way in hell that she was standing for anything less than all of him. "Marshall, more. I need all of you. No damn holding back."

His hips halted against hers, pressed deep for the time it took his eyes to lock on her face. Then he smiled and her nerves were already melting. "That's my Mary, my strong, stubborn girl." Her body felt the change in his before he dipped his head for a kiss. "Hold on tight, Mare. I'm giving you all of me." Mary got a grip on his shoulders just in time for the first real plunge of his body into hers.

/Fuck, yes, finally get to feel you.\\ She gasped, every inch of her body arching into his, desperate for just a little more. And he gave her everything. Marshall used every inch of his body and every ounce of his strength to power the next thrust of his hips and the thrust after that. Mary fucking loved it. She met every move and the full strength of him joyously. "Fuck, yes, My Marshall."

"Your Marshall. Always been yours." His next thrust had her nails digging into his back. Or maybe that was the words. She'd always been possessive of him. Any single time someone showed an interest in him, it raised her hackles. This man in her arms, in her body, burying her in pleasure, he was hers, every inch of him belonged right here with her. /Mine, god, yes, mine.\\

Mary helplessly groaned low in her throat and met each of his hard thrusts with one of her own. He felt… so fucking good she could barely breathe. Weakly pulling her nails from his shoulders, she fisted both hands in his hair and dragged his lips to hers. Dear god, this man could kiss. The things Marshall could do to her with his lips, teeth and tongue. That kiss even managed to distract her from the weight and heat of his body going completely still above hers. It was only when those lips pulled back to smile at her that Mary realized he'd rolled them both. Long fingers clenched on her hips, pulling her down over every gorgeous inch of his erection until he bottomed out inside her. She could feel… all of him, like he was knocking at her soul. "Oh, Marsh… Marshall…" Her hands scrabbled with almost a sense of panic at his arms as every inch of her body arched in a desperate attempt to get him even a little bit deeper. Impossible, but oh so fucking good that she might draw blood with her grip. "Yes, please, Marshall."

"That's my Mary. Your turn. Give me everything. No holding back. I need all of you." His hands tightened at her hips, shifting the angle between them to the sound of two helpless groans. "Everything you have, everything you are. I want it all."

And she wanted to give it to him. But it was going to take her a few moments of just feeling him deeper than any man had ever been before she could even think about moving. It took her timeless seconds lost in the connection with him before she even got her eyes open to stare down at the most gorgeous thing she'd ever seen. Marshall, long, lean, strong Marshall stretched out under her, trusting and wanting her. "Yes, My Marshall. Give you everything. Give you me."

But first, a kiss. Forcing her nails out of his forearms, Mary cupped in his face in her hands and slowly bent down to barely brush her lips over his in a soft, sweet breathless kiss. Pulling back for a breath and a smile, she melted at the heat and need in his eyes. And that was before his voice poured on more heat. "Please, my Mary, please."

"Your Mary," She breathed in against his lips, got a grip on his shoulders, and moved. /Yes, fuck, yes.\\ Now that Mary was in charge, so to speak, the intense urge to rush somehow faded. She wanted to feel him, to explore all of him. "I'll always be your Mary." The next kiss wasn't nearly as gentle but it was even sweeter. Marshall fed at her mouth, his hands circling her hips against his, around the hard length of him so deliciously deep. "My Marshall,"

"Yours, take me, Mary. Feel me." One strong hand tangled in her hair, keeping her kissably close to his lips. "You feel so damn good." In the middle of the next kiss, Mary made the first long, slow thrust, loving the gasp and groan on his lips, loving the changing pressure on all her nerves as he met the plunge of her body with an arch of his own. No one had ever felt this good. No one had ever fit her this perfectly or known her body so well. No one else was Marshall. "So sweet, so perfect," His hand moved up her side, cupping her breast and kissing his way down to meet his fingers. "I've never tasted anything so delicious," A quick little flick of his tongue sent a shiver down her back. "Give me more," His arms locked around her waist and his hips shifted against hers. Suddenly slow wasn't nearly enough.

"Marshall," Now they were rushing, as hard, fast and deep as they could. Every single plunge of his body into hers pushed her that much closer to ecstasy. Every kiss, every touch of his hands over her skin buried her in an amazing heat like nothing she'd ever felt before. And his eyes told her in no uncertain terms that he felt it just as intensely. This man loved her, wanted her, needed her just as much as she needed him. Mary loved him and he would never leave her. "More, please."

He smiled against her lips in the instant before those skillful fingers dragged heat up the inside of her thigh to stroke the most sensitive nerves in her body. "Come for me, Mary. I wanna feel it, want you to take me with you." And he was about to make that happen, almost as much with the heat in his eyes and his voice as the targeted stroke of those fingers. "So close, my sweet Mary. Give yourself to me. I want you, just you, always."

The wave crashed, drowning her in the sensation of everything she'd ever wanted. Climax struck and Mary knew she was drawing blood on his back as every inch of her body tightened, arched, and trembled. "Marshall, I love you, Marshall."

Then the wave crashed through him and not even her own orgasm had felt as good as feeling his against every inch of her body. She couldn't breathe past the fierce grip of his arms and his shout of her name. Collapsing into those arms, Mary claimed a deep, breathless kiss even as their hearts raced as their lungs demanded air. But this contact of lips was far more important. She'd never get enough of his kiss.

It was only when Marshall took his lips away that Mary noticed he pinned her to the sheets again. His body was still buried between her thighs, lying warm and heavy against her skin. His hands cupped her face as his eyes locked to hers. Of course he'd heard her. Her partner was just as smart as he was sexy. "Did you mean it, Mary? Do you really love me?"

She'd never said those words and meant them more. Mary had loved Marshall when she thought she could never have him for real, when she was still broken enough to believe that everyone she loved would leave her. This was scarier than getting shot, or dying, or bleeding out on a sidewalk. The only thing that scared her more than telling Marshall this particular truth was watching him get shot, or watching him leave. "Yes, I do love you, Marshall. You're mine. And if you ever try to leave me, I'll hunt your ass down and drag you back home in handcuffs." Her arms curled tighter around his neck as he sagged against her with relief. Mary got lost in his desperate kiss and the fierce grip of his arms around her. Even without the words, she could feel his love flooding her nerves.

The kiss broke with a low desperate sound. Marshall's hands on her face kept her from reclaiming his lips. His eyes were filled with stubborn determination and enough heat to burn down the house. "I'm never leaving you, Mary. You're mine and I've loved you for so long, I could never give you up. But anytime you want to play with handcuffs, I'm your man." Now he allowed the kiss, his hands sliding along her skin to twine through hers and drag her hands up above her head. "I'd love taking turns handcuffed to this headboard with you, driving each other crazy with pleasure."

Mere moments after the most amazing sex she'd ever had, Marshall already had her shivering at the thought of taking him all over again, of having him confined to his bed. Those gorgeous eyes would stare up at her as she pleasured him or teased him at her will. And he would demand his turn in control of her. Marshall was more than capable of wrapping her nerves around his fingers and would put everything he had into driving her wild. He was also the only man she'd ever trust enough to give up all her control of the situation. "You're on, my Marshall, any day."

His smile sped up her heart rate as he leaned down for the softest, sweetest kiss. Mary squeezed his hands and kissed him back with all her heart. /That's my Marshall.\\

000


End file.
